Illuminating Perspectives: Diverse Voices in Solar Education
In this blog, we will delve into a groundbreaking project that not only brings fundamental solar topics to life through highly visual graphics and videos but also champions the importance of diversity and representation of solar educators to create a more inclusive solar industry.
Creating Interest in Solar Energy Careers
With a grant provided by All Points North Foundation (www.allpointsnorthfoundation.org), Remote Energy is creating a team to develop graphical, video-based, open-source solar PV curriculum that can easily be translated into any language to promote interest and career development in the solar energy (PV) industry. The videos will help demystify and distill the benefits of solar and its applications for a broad audience - so that language is not a barrier.
While the solar industry is growing rapidly, there needs to be an intentional focus on diversity and inclusivity to create a just energy transition. The industry lacks diversity and rarely addresses the training and educational needs of underserved and underrepresented communities, particularly on Indigenous Nations who perhaps experience the most energy burden and lack of career opportunities than any other population in the United States. This was exemplified by the Solar Energy Industry Association’s National Solar Jobs Census 2020, which found American Indians made up only 1.2% of the solar workforce.
Seeing role models from one's own community has a profound impact on the community and oftentimes on the youth–who may be seeking a meaningful educational and career path. Many of these Nations remain isolated and newer technologies and careers may seem unattainable. However, when one sees a powerful teacher, someone who looks like you, it plants the seed and possibility of a similar future. Representation matters, especially in education. By showcasing Indigenous success stories in the solar energy field, we aim to inspire and encourage the next generation to pursue careers in this vital field. The project goal is to reach a wider Native American audience by presenting graphical curriculum in the communities’ traditional language. The first three languages to be part of this project are Dakota, Navajo, and Hopi.
Since this new graphical video curriculum is aimed to increase solar understanding for a general audience, the project will be able to reach all levels of the community. It can also be used by schoolteachers to promote understanding of solar in science or math classes. Having the videos spoken in the local indigenous language creates ownership, pride, and highlights local role models as the agents of change in their community. These solar educators are role models for the future generation coming into the field.
The Importance of Educational Materials in Native Languages
We introduce you to one of the Native American solar educators leading the charge in our project - Gail Hubbeling. Gail is from the Ihanktonwan people, and she lives in Greenwood, South Dakota on the Yankton Sioux Nation. She is a teacher of the Dakota language and explained that “by using the Dakota language we are preserving the language, and by using solar we are also saving Grandmother Earth.” She explains, in her own words, about this project:
What is the importance of solar on your lands - in your community?
“With solar energy, our people are struggling, this is a way we can help our nation.”
Why is teaching solar in native languages important?
“We will be preserving the Dakota language, people can learn and understand the Dakota language”
How do you want to use these videos in your community?
“I’d like to go into the communities and show them the videos, and show students in schools to learn what solar is about.”
What is the importance of showcasing a woman Native Trainer for the videos?
“By having women, we can show that we are capable of doing these things, and in the future, we can depend on women to show the way of doing these projects.”
We look forward to also working with our partners at Native Renewables for the Hopi and Navajo translations.
The Power of Visuals in Solar Education
Visual learning has a profound impact on understanding complex subjects, and when it comes to solar education, it's no exception. Through this project we will demonstrate the significance of visual content and how incorporating graphics and animations from many diverse Indigenous Nations can enhance communication, making solar concepts accessible to a broader audience. The universal language of visuals is a key factor in our global outreach efforts.
The curriculum can be used by our partners to promote understanding of key solar concepts to get wider engagement at the community level and recruit new people into the solar workforce by providing accessible learning experiences in their native language. The solar videos are primarily designed to reach everyday people who want to learn about the benefits of solar for their community.
We recognize the need for multilingual content in solar education, and our goal is to make solar education accessible to diverse communities by offering content in various languages, ensuring that language is not a barrier to learning. Stay tuned to see how this project grows and expands to include more faces and voices from around the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Illuminating Perspectives is more than a project; it's a movement. We celebrate the importance of diverse representation in solar education and invite you to join us on this transformative journey. Whether you're passionate about solar energy, education, or fostering inclusivity, our project aims to inspire change and empower the voices that have long been underrepresented in STEM fields. Together, let's build a diverse, inclusive, and gender-balanced solar industry.